From the Ground Up - Woman's Lib Began on the Ranch

The Women’s Liberation Movement is documented as having begun in the United States during the 1960s, however, many believe that it was implemented many years prior to that on ranches across the country.

“When I went to Foleys, I used to laugh and tell all of them, because at the time that I had started with my career, was also when the Women’s Lib movement started, and I said, you guys are way behind, because if you grew up on a ranch, you were treated just like the rest of the guys.”

Today, Linda Jordens Galayda and her family own and operate the Seven Bar Seven Ranch near Elkhart.

“I used to laugh because I said my Mom was a wonderful southern lady and she would send us off to piano and ballet and my Dad would buy me horses and guns. It was the horses and cattle and guns that took, even though I ended up with this career in fashion, it was the other that was really my passion.”

Linda admired her Dad’s tremendous work ethic.

“When he said we’re leaving at five, we were leaving at five, and you got called one time, and then you’d better be in the truck, and you better get your horse saddled, and you had to saddle your own horse.”

“When we were working cattle, I was never treated as the little lady, and I was expected to ride like all the guys, and pain is not a factor, and tears were certainly not a factor.”

Even as a little girl, Linda was treated like a business partner.

“In the meeting with people that, of course truly intimidated me as a little girl, he would say, what do you think, what do you think, what do you think? All along he was always prompting us into those decision making roles.”

And her Dad wasn’t star struck by his daughter’s successful career in the fashion industry.

“It was always about, I don’t care if you had lunch with Gloria Vanderbilt, we’ve got these cows to move off this pasture to this pasture, so he kept us very grounded.”

When Linda’s father’s health failed, she had decision to make.

“When he passed away, it was an easy decision, it wasn’t a hard decision. I was going to the ranch.”

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